Kniee-cleaneb



*UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MCNAMEE, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

KNIFE-CLEANR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,040, dated November 8,v 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known t-hat I, JAMES MCNAMEE, of Easton, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knife-Cleaning Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of knife cleaning apparatus having pads between which the blade of the knife is rubbed, and reservoirs for cont-aining the polishing material are used, and my invention consists of an upper socket containing a pad and operated by a lever, a lower socket with a pad and a reservoir containing the polishing material, the lower pad being rendered adjustable in respect to the reservoir and the several parts being arranged in respect to each other in the manner described hereafter, so as to form a complete and simple apparatus for cleaning knives and forks.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of my improved knife cleaning machine; Fig. 2, a transverse section on the line l, 2, Fig. l.

A is a wooden box within which is another box B, for containing emery powder, sand, brick dust, or other material suitable for cleaning and polishing table knives. The box B has a hinged lid b, and immediately above the latter, and on the top of the box A, is another'hinged lid a. To the front end of the box is secured a plate C having a slit c large enough to admit the blade of a table knife and its shoulder. Within the box, and contiguous to the plate C, are two metal sockets D and E, the lower socket being stationary and the-upper socket having projecting lugs c at each end, fitting over and guided by rods F, F, two of which are secured to a projection h on one of the plates G, the latter being secured, one to one side, and the other to the other side of the box A. The upper socket D has a central vertical projection i, the top of which spiral springs m, coiled around the rods F,

and bearing at the bottom on the permanent projections lz., and at the top on the under side of the projecting lugs c e. Each socket is provided with a pad I, each pad being retained in its place by means of screws m, m', and the lower pad being supported by a plate lc, which rests on the points of screws n by turning which the pad may be raised or loweredat pleasure, and adjusted so that its upper surface may be a short distance above the bottom of the box B. The front end of this box is immediately in the rear of the sockets D and E, and has an opening for the admission of the blade of the knife.

The polishing material being deposited in the box B by pouring it through the openings covered by the lids b and a, the above described apparatus is used as follows: The

box being placed on the edge of a table, the

operator, using his left hand, raises the upper socket D with its pad I, by means of the lever H. He then grasps the handle of the knife in his right hand, and inserts the blade, which should be slightly wet, into the opening c of the plate C between the two pads, and into the box B, where a portion of the polishing material adheres to the wet blade. The operator now depresses the lever H, thereby pressing the blade of the knife between the two pads, and while thus depressing the lever rubs the blade backward and forward between the pads on which a portion of the polishing material adheres, until the blade has assumed the desired cleanliness and brightness.

The pads may be made of felt, cork, or other materials, although I prefer the use of gum elastic as the polishing powder adheres to that material with greater tenacity as the blade is passed backward and forward between the pads.

It will be evident that the prongs of table forks may be cleansed and polished by the above described apparatus.

I wish it to be understood that I do not claim broadly the use of pads pressed together by a lever or the combination of pads with a reservoir containing the polishing material, but I limit my claim to and desire to secure Letters Patent for The upper socket D with its pad I operated by the socket F with its pad, and thel reservoir B, when the pad of the lower socket is rendered adjustable in respect to the reservoir, and when the several parts are f wi, 

